SOUND
ABSORBING — All about it
MyO comfort solutions are made for sound absorbing in your workspaces. Our products permits to absorb the different sounds in reflecting spaces. Panels, dividers, totems or boards, myO sound absorbing solutions have been created to meet all your needs.
To achieve an optimal level of efficiency, the performance of our solutions has been measured in an independent test laboratory. Each of our products has an acoustic report attesting to the level of attenuation of noise pollution.
— Soundproofing vs Sound Absorbing : What’s the Difference?
Sound absorbing
We mean sound absorbing when the noise pollution is within the same room: the noise of children playing in your classroom, chairs that resonate in your dining room, colleagues on the phone around you in an open space…
Soundproofing
Acoustic insulation, on the other hand, relates more to noise pollution from outside the room: neighbours’ television, the closed office of another employee, work in progress, outside your building or fabric…
Generally speaking, it is more difficult to absorb the bass than the midrange or treble. These two facets of acoustics are complementary and must be considered in the same way for optimal acoustic correction.
When talk about sound absorbing ?
The purpose of soundproofing is to attenuate the reverberation of sound inside a room :
- A room where a good understanding of the speaker is essential: theater, amphitheater, meeting room, etc.
- A room where the noises emitted must be less audible and more pleasant to the ear: open space, classroom, nursery, restaurant, industrial workshop, etc.
For an optimal acoustic correction, three criteria must be taken into account concerning the part to be treated:
- Volume
- The form
- The nature of the materials
Sound absorption measurement
Generally speaking, it is more difficult to absorb the bass than the midrange or treble. Acoustic correction must therefore be worked on taking these details into account.
There is a single indicator, called “absorption evaluation index”, and noted αw: between 0 and 1. It allows to assess the absorption capacity of a material and therefore the level of acoustic correction by only one value. Close to 1 in the main frequency bands of speech: 500Hz, 1000Hz, 2000Hz, = Absorption Class A
Calculation of the unique index αw according to ISO standard NF EN ISO 1165
The equivalent absorption area: AAE or A = Area x αw
The total equivalent absorption area is equal to the sum of the absorption areas provided by each of the elements of the room (walls, floor, ceiling, furniture). The absorption area corresponds to the amount of absorbent provided by the element, it depends on its surface area S and its absorption coefficient αw. It is an essential element for successful acoustic correction.
Thus, to obtain the same amount of absorption as a product having a coefficient αw equal to 1, it will take twice as much area with a product having a coefficient αw of 0.5.
Absorption, reflection and transmission of waves
These are the building materials that exhibit the physical property:
- Absorb the wave: which allows better sound absorption
- To reflect the wave: which gives the unpleasant sensation of an echo
- Transmit the wave: which makes the sound pass from one room to another
We then calculate the sound insulation level of a room using the 3 previous indices.
In a closed space (room), there are 2 sound fields:
The direct field that comes from the wave coming directly from the noise source.
The reverberated field which comes from all the reflections of the waves on the walls of the room (walls, floor, ceiling, furniture, etc.)
Measure the reverberation time
In a room, the position, the absorption performance and the surface of the materials used create the acoustic atmosphere in terms of reverberation (internal acoustics).
We say of a room that it is “dull” when it is rather absorbent and “shiny” when it is rather reverberating.
The reverberation of a room can be quantified by the measurement: Reverberation time or duration (denoted TR is measured in seconds). Reverberation time can also be estimated by calculation.
The reverberation time or duration is the time taken by a sound pulse for the resulting sound level in the room to decrease by 60 dB (decibels).
It is measured using a sound level meter and an impulsive noise source (alarm gun, bursting of a balloon, etc.).
The smaller the value of TR, the better the acoustic correction of the room.
Offices
0.6 s ≤ TR ≤ 0.8 s
Restaurant
0.8 s ≤ TR ≤ 0.9 s
Concert hall
1.0 s ≤ TR ≤ 1.3 s
Church
3.5 s ≤ TR ≤ 6.0 s
A room where the reverberation time of the sound is high will therefore have the following characteristics:
- Noisy: the intensity of the reverberated field will be high. Any interior or exterior noise source will therefore be amplified by reverberation.
- Poor speech intelligibility
- Appearance of the “cocktail effect”
— Sound absorption solutions
To fight acoustic discomfort, many myO solutions exist to fit out work spaces while guaranteeing silence, intimacy and confidentiality.
Acoustic panels
Our Lugn and Quieto range of acoustic panels, with their light and airy design, effectively reduce the reverberation of a room. Also, they are easily adjustable due to their suspension system, allowing for ideal immersion in your workspace. You can find three possible variations:
Dividers
Ideal to protect your employees from environmental noise as well as to have more privacy, our acoustic office dividers are your best asset.
Acoustic totems
In a minimalist design inspired by the culture of the land of the rising sun, our acoustic totems fit perfectly into your workspace for optimal noise reduction.
Placed and moved according to your desires, the acoustic totem is installed in the blink of an eye.
